UUJEC Leadership

Position

Name

Congregation

Picture

Biography

Co-Chair

Ms Sally Gellert

Central Unitarian Church, NJ

Sally Jane Gellert (Unitarian Universalist since 1998), is a member of Central Unitarian Church and has been active in civic education and advocacy for a decade or more. In 2011, Sally worked with other environmental UUs to introduce an Action of Immediate Witness (AIW) to support Tim DeChristopher Currently active in each of the UU Legislative Ministry of N.J.’s. 5 task forces. Maintains Occupy Bergen County’s social-media presence. Member of InterOccupy, supporting grassroots Occupy- and non-Occupy-based groups. Cofounder of Bergen Unitarian Universalist Relief Group (BUURG), which held Sandy Benefit concert. Cohosts an EJ Green Drinks in Hackensack. Works with local advocacy/activist groups and the Ramapough Lunaape tribe. E-mail is SJGUU @ aol.com

Co-Chair

Terry Lowman

First Unitarian Church of Des Moines, IA

Terry Lowman retired recently from a long career in business, justice was always a passion. Married to Mark Kassis as soon as same sex marriage was legal in Iowa, he and Mark parented four children, two from Terry's marriage to a Cuban woman and two adopted from Peru. They owned three restaurants, which were often venues for charity fund raising and liberal political events. Terry was born into UCC, lost god and found UU in 1989. Terry has volunteered in a number of UU related causes, from AMOS, the local congregationally based community organizing, starting Iowa’s UU state advocacy network (IUUWAN), the UU Funding Program's Social Responsibility grant panel and summer of 2014 joining UUJEC as co-chair. Terry is the UUJEC Liaison for State Legislative Networks (CUUSAN) and chair of the Nominating Committee. Terry is a member of UU Congregation of Miami and First Unitarian Church of Des Moines, Iowa. Contact Terry at TerryLeeLowman @ gmail.com

Staff

Christopher Sims

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rock Valley in Rockton, IL

Christopher D. Sims is a poet, lay minister, and a human rights activist. A Unitarian Universalist for almost 17 years. He joined The UU Church Rockford, IL in 2001. Christopher is the former Joseph Priestly District of the U.U.A's Director of Young Adult & Campus Ministry. He is also a former committee member of the DRUUMM Youth And Young Adult Steering Committee and served on DRUUMM's Steering Committee, served six years on the UUA's Nominating Committee, and was an advisory board member for the Green Sanctuary Program.
Christopher is focused on anti-racism, racial equity, and economic injustice. A scholar of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Poor Peoples Campaign, Christopher learns from history so he can inform our faith movement and the masses.

Treasurer

Jane Bannor

Unitarian Church of Evanston, IL

Jane was elected to the UUJEC Board in 2014. She served on the planning committee for the February, 2015 UUJEC conference Escalating Inequality or Opportunity for All? and currently is the Treasurer in addition to chairing the UUJEC Finance Committee. A member of the Unitarian Church of Evanston, Jane has taken a leadership role in her church’s Peace and Justice Committee, and she currently serves on the Chicago Area UUSJ Peace and Economic Justice / Homelessness task forces. She guided her church’s efforts to implement the Peacemaking Study / Action Issue, and she’s been spearheading her congregation’s work on the 2014 – 2017 CSAI on Escalating Inequality. Efforts have centered on raising the minimum wage and on protecting state “safety net” programs, while responding to growing budgetary issues. Working in local political campaigns and in community action efforts, Jane has seen the impact growing income inequality has had on our major cities. She hopes our denomination’s study of the issue will increase our commitment to finding a way to distribute our nation’s wealth more equitably. Contact Jane at jbannor @ sbcglobal.net

Trustee

Carl McCargo

Unitarian Universalist Society of Greater Springfield, MA

Carl McCargo has been a member of UUJEC since 2006, now serving as Chair of the GA Booth Committee, and a member of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Greater Springfield, Mass. since 1985, when he became a UU. He received his BA in Psychology from the University of New Mexico in 1973 and his Masters of Science in Clinical Psychology from the University of Massachusetts in 1981. Carl worked as a civil service psychologist for the state of Massachusetts for twenty years and retired in 2005. In 1992, he was in the first group of UU’s trained as Social Justice Empowerment Trainers and has conducted many workshops nationwide. Carl is also a Jubilee World I Anti-racism trainer and has conducted workshops across the U.S. Currently, Carl is the Chairperson of the Ward-3 Democratic Committee in Springfield, Mass. When his term as Chair of the Ward Committee expires this year, Carl will devote himself more fully to Media Reform, from the point of view that our media – movies and TV – teaches our culture how to think about “the Other,” class, the poor immigrants, etc. Feel free to contact Carl at: ilike2travel @ comcast.net

Trustee

Chris Marlowe

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Jersey Shore in Galloway, NJ

Dean Wanderer is a member of the Accotink Unitarian Universalist Church of Burke, Virginia and a Unitarian Universalist since 1980. Dean graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He also holds ajuris doctorate and two masters of law (International) and (Environmental). He retired from the Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps in 1994 and began as a sole practitioner thereafter. He has been an advocate for thirty-nine years concerning international matters for the US Navy or Department of Defense for those who face criminal charges, removal for immigration reasons, and family law matters. He has frequently represented the injured and disabled. He is the co-chair of the Unitarian Universalists Legislative Ministry of Virginia (UULMVA) and the chair of the Immigration Steering Committee for the Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice in the Capital Region (UUSJ). He has personally advocated at federal and state levels of government. The priorities of the UULMVA include Economic Injustice (minimum wage increase, expansion of MEDICAID, voting rights for ex-felons and the end of predatory lending, among others). You can contact Dean at deanwanderer @ verizon.net

Trustee

Dr. Dick Burkhart

Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF)

Dick Burkhart is a life long UU and advocate for social and economic justice. Professionally he has a Ph.D. in mathematics and has worked in academia and industry in applied mathematics and scientific and engineering computing. In 2002 he took early retirement to become a full time activist, especially on issues, from local to global, of economic inequality, limits-to-growth, sustainability, democracy, and urbanization. He has been on the board of UUJEC since 2005, currently serving as a chair of the General Assembly Committee.

Trustee

Jim Black

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Door County, WI

Jim Black is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Door County Wisconsin and a retiring attorney. Jim dedicated his career to representing injured workers and the disabled. From the foundation of Jim’s career experiences, he knows the issues the UUJEC addresses are extremely important. Throughout his legal career Jim saw the faces of those who struggled to work within a system which did not provide a just economic system. Jim and his wife Trish work locally to help advance an economic system which is just for their children, grandchild and community. Jim hopes, through the UUJEC, to play a part in advancing a just economic system. To reach Jim, email him at jblackjd85 @ gmail.com

Trustee

John Martin

Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF)

Trustee

Karla Chew

Third Unitarian Church of Chicago, IL

I retired in 2004 after 40 years as computer manager/analyst/programmer. I am currently treasurer of UU's for Social Justice in Chicago and for the Austin Scholarship Committee of 3rd Unitarian Church. I am, also, involved in the local Move to Amend group. For several years in the past, I worked with the local PADS homeless shelter. I am Chair of the UUJEC Communications Committee and can be reached at communications @ uujec.com.

Trustee

Philip Hamilton

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

I am 27 years old and have been serving as the Program Leader for Economic Justice at the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) in Cambridge, MA for the past two years. My current interests focus on the intersection between U.S. trade/trade agreements and their linkage to economic justice issues both internationally as well as within the United States. In particular, this centers on CAFTA and U.S. efforts to stem migration through investments promoted under the framework of the Alliance for Prosperity Plan, and how the conditions created by these agreements contribute to migration, which of course links to the talks about immigration, the budget for immigration enforcement, etc. On the more purely domestic side, I have been focused on working with worker centers to promote worker organizing and education in order to ensure that workers are able to advocate for their rights.

Trustee

Rachel Bennett Steury

Unitarian Universalist Church of Studio City, CA

Rachel Bennett Steury is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Studio City, and currently serves as the UUJEC Administrator. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree in Labor Studies from Indiana University and the University of Massachusetts respectively, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the Indiana Institute of Technology. She has a professional background in manufacturing, political advocacy, organizing, writing and research. Her volunteer work focuses on social media and communications on organ donation, civil, human and labor rights. She is a member of the Steelworker Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR), and the A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI). She resides in Las Angeles County, California. Contact Rachel at rachellou @ hotmail.com.

Trustee

Rev. Dr. Lucy Hitchcock

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Lucy Hitchcock served as UU minister in North Dakota, Oregon, Washington, Florida and in the UUA Extension Department, retiring in 2008. She is a founding member of UUJEC, served on the board off and on and has organized UU actions for the WTO protests in Seattle, FTAA protests in Miami and many conferences. Her spiritual practice is the work of economic justice. Current commitments are to single payer healthcare, a constitutional amendment to remove “person” status from corporations and sustainable organic agriculture here and in Senegal, West Africa. Lucy is Chair of the UUJEC Membership Committee and can be reached at membership @ uujec.com

Trustee

Rev. Judith Deutsch

First Parish of Sudbury, MA

Judy Deutsch is a UU minister, emerita, who moved to Corrales, NM on June 28, 2017, after having lived in Sudbury, MA. For 51 years.

Among the activities she engaged in while in Massachusetts were to serve as: chair of the committee that wrote the last 3 Massachusetts single-payer bills; board member of the James Luther Adams Foundation; the governor’s appointee to the Sudbury Housing Authority; chair of First Parish’s Faith in Action Committee; health care specialist for the LWVMA; and board member of Mass-Care (Massachusetts’ campaign for single-payer health care.)

Since moving to New Mexico she has become active in the Albuquerque working group against Citizens United, and involved in the group working for NM’s Health Security Act and in the UU Westside Congregation, where she hopes to get the congregation aware of UUJEC.

Judy has been a member of the NAACP since the 50’s and a member of Democratic Socialists of America since its inception. She has been a Unitarian and then a Unitarian Universalist since 1952.

Trustee

Rich Florentino

Unitarian Church of Staten Island, NY

An Environmental Engineer for 40 years; BSCE Columbia University; MSEnvE University of Illinois. Lifelong interest in history, fostered by excellent undergraduate liberal arts / technical curriculum . Retired in 2010. Joined Unitarian Church on Staten Island in 2011. Has read extensively in history and economics over the last 6 years - since the financial meltdown in 2008. Participated in Occupy Wall Street planning and demonstrations; was first person to use the phrase, "We are the 99%" at an Occupy meeting. Member / on Board of several Democratic Clubs on Staten Island, on Board of Peace Action of Staten Island. Coordinating with other religious and secular groups on Staten Island and in Brooklyn. Speaks regularly at diverse organizations and events regarding Economic Justice.

Trustee

Sky Stewart

Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Dayton, OH

Sky Stewart is a part time Meadville Lombard student, an aspirant for Unitarian Universalist ordination and an active community lay minister/ organizer in his hometown of Franklin, Ohio. In his free time, and for much needed cash, Sky also works for his family's historic restoration construction business. Sky's big dream is of bringing all this together to help his community realize it's potential for greater optimism, happiness, and financial prosperity.

Sky looks forward to joining the UUJEC board in the hope of bringing his experiences as a Unitarian Universalist faith leader and as a community servant and organizer closer together, so that each responsibility may more fully enrich and inform the other.

I actually prefer neutral pronouns (they/them or your favorite equivalent), however I am going to use he/him in my bio. This is because in my work life I usually present as a male. As a transgender faith leader and organizer working in the blue collar, Appalachian town where I grew up, I find I make all the waves I need without confusing people's grammar habits.

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